Switching from Being an Hourly Employee to a Salaried Employee

Switching from being an hourly employee to a salaried employee is something many people desire to do at some point in their career. If you are faced with the situation of switching over to a salary, you will need to consider a number of things.

Flexibility

One of the big benefits of becoming a salaried employee is that you will have flexibility in your schedule. You will not have to worry about punching a time clock or keeping track of your hours. Instead, you will be able to relax and focus on just doing your job. Most of the time, your employer is going to want you to work about 40 hours a week. However, sometimes they will not care exactly how many hours you work as long as you get your job done. When you are an hourly employee, you have to physically be on the job for a specific number of hours per week. This is not necessarily the case with a salaried position.

Increased Working Hours

However, in many cases, you will actually end up working more hours over the course of a week. The downside to this is that you will not be able to get overtime. When you are an hourly employee, you often receive overtime for any hours you work over 40 hours per week. In some cases, you will also get double pay if you work on weekends or holidays. When you transition to being a salaried employee, this is not going to be the case. Your employer can ask you to work quite a bit more than normal, and you may not be compensated for it.

Notification

Many people switch from being an hourly employee to a salaried employee are not consulted about this decision. Many times, employers simply make the change without asking the employee if that is what he or she wants. As long as you do not have an employment contract or some type of union agreement, this is perfectly legal.

Pay Increases

In some cases, switching from an hourly employee to a salaried employee can provide you with additional income. Many employers will couple this switch with a raise. However, this is not always the case. You might be moved from hourly to salary without actually getting any increase in pay. When this happens, you will still be able to benefit from the flexibility that comes from not having to clock in and out.

Talking to Your Employer

If your employer is making you switch from being an hourly employee to a salaried employee, you should sit down and communicate. You need to make sure that you and your employer are on the same page about their expectations of you.